One Last Time
by Valiance
Summary: Yuna is taken to the Zanarkand of a thousand years ago, just like they'd always planned.


White.

It was everywhere. No matter how hard Yuna strained her eyes, just that enveloping whiteness. She extended a hand, watched as it curled, fog-like, around her hand. It was in every direction.

Was she lost again?

She brought two fingers to her mouth and whistled. It was muted, weak, like the thick fog blocked sight as well as sound. She took a deep breath and tried again, whistling until her lungs were struggling for air and it cut off.

Still no answer. She felt the flutterings of panic begin to stir in her stomach. She took one step, then another, then, like at night when one's eyes become accustomed to the dark, it almost felt like her eyes were adjusting to the whiteness and it was beginning to clear.

At her feet spreading outwards were flowers, brilliant reds and pinks and purples, as if sprouting out of nowhere – or was the fog tricking her eyes? And these familiar flowers were like...

"The Farplane," she said softly.

No sooner were the words out of her mouth than she noticed an indistinct figure in the fog. Had it always been there? She watched, wondering what to do, and realised, as he stepped out of the fog, that this was too familiar. The red and yellow clothes, blond hair, startlingly blue eyes... It was Shuyin. Transparent and ghostly, but certainly him. He didn't smile, didn't speak, just watched. Yuna took a few hesitant steps, then became bolder, and as she approached a swarm of pyreflies formed another figure. This one was Lenne, who held Shuyin's hand. She beckoned Yuna forwards with the other. Feeling in a dreamlike daze, she did so.. Then, wordlessly, Shuyin and Lenne stepped aside. Shuyin didn't smile, but his eyes had a kind of spark in them she hadn't seen before. As she looked at him, he turned, and still in silence, pointed into the distance.

"Are you showing me the way out?" asked Yuna. Lenne made a gesture that Yuna should hurry – her urgent eyes saying, _Trust me_.

So Yuna nodded, turned, and ran into the light and pyreflies.

---

Yuna wasn't sure what had happened after that, or how much time had passed, or if she'd fallen unconscious. With the Farplane, it was impossible to guess. When she came around, she could hear voices.

"I like a drink or two before a match myself, but some people take it too far..."

"Shouldn't somebody help...?"

"Just leave her. Do you want to get a good seat or not?"

She was laying on something cold and hard, and when her eyes fluttered open, she saw feet of people gathered around. Then came the realisation they were talking about _her_. She pulled herself up to stand, was going to apologise for worrying them, but when she looked around, looked _up_--

Her mouth fell open.

The buildings were just like she'd seen – through Seymour, Lenne's memories, inside Sin, through spheres – towering round buildings, taller than any she'd seen even in Bevelle. They were like the night sky itself, dark and indistinct, little squares of light for windows like stars. She was on a kind of raised road, full of people all chattering excitedly and heading in one direction.

Zanarkand.

"She's fine, let's go," said a girl, leading her boyfriend off. Yuna blinked and realised she'd been gawking, and blushed at the scene she was creating. The rest of the small crowd shook their heads, shot disapproving looks and walked away. _Yes, I'm fine, thank you_, she thought in some annoyance. If it had been Spira, at least someone would have helped her, even without her status. It was just courtesy – and everyone needed any help they could get.

"Cheering for the Abes tonight, lady?"

A little boy stared up at her, blitzball tucked under one arm. It had an autograph she couldn't make out scrawled across it. Then she realised he'd been talking to her. Loathe as she was to admit it, two years of being a summoner, then High Summoner had made her used to being addressed 'my lady', 'lady summoner'...

She smiled it off. Anonymity was nice, in a way. "Do you mean the blitzball team?" She crouched to his eye level. "Well, I..."

"Bet you do, with a shirt like that," the boy grinned, pointing at it. She looked down – the Abes symbol, wasn't it? She'd almost forgotten, more than anything having come to associate the hook-shaped symbol with _him_.

"Um, yes..." Yuna laughed. "I suppose I will be."

The boy put the ball on the ground. To her amazement, he drew his arms back and around to form the prayer gesture. But... praying? In Zanarkand? How--

"The Abes are totally gonna take the cup!" He grinned and picked his ball back up. "Well, bye lady!" And he was gone, running off to catch up with his parents.

Amazed, confused, still unsure of what to make of it all, Yuna followed him and the rest of the crowds. Her gaze was drawn back to the buildings. She had been right in her imaginings of Zanarkand, that it would all make her dizzy, but maybe that was from craning her neck to stare upwards and all the bright lights. Much of the city was built on water, or else overlooking it, and some buildings had huge waterfalls cascading down them as if they were cliffs. And although so much of the city was artificial, with its bright lights and machina, it was filled it bursting with energy and excitement and life.

The stadium was just as towering and grand as the other buildings. The spectators were swarming in their thousands below where the road sloped down and ended, trying to get inside the entrance. It was framed by two statues and was somewhat narrow – there seemed to be some kind of hold up that was stopping the crowd moving.

When Yuna stopped to look, someone walked into her from behind. An impatient-looking woman, already aggravated by the tides of people, snapped at her, "Why didn't you move? You're just standing there waiting for an accident to happen, and the match starts in five minutes..." Which was more important than standing around berating scatterbrained young women, so she hurried off.

Watching a blitzball match in Zanarkand, at _night_, sounded amazing, so Yuna braved the crowds and joined the disorderly throngs trying to get in. The problem wasn't only that the entrance was narrow, but that they were checking tickets, so her heart dropped when shed reached a short attendant who asked for her ticket.

"I was hoping I could buy one," Yuna said before she could even think about it. "Um... how much are they?"

"The cheapest are 5000 gil, and we're sold out!" He responded, annoyed. When he noticed her peering over his head into the entrance, he snapped, "Don't even try sneaking in! It won't work." He rolled his eyes as if this happened every match night, then clapped his hands and shouted, "Next!"

Yuna moved aside and squeezed through the crowds of people until she was out of the mass, trying to quash her sinking feeling. It wasn't the poor treatment people here were giving her – no, rude people didn't bother her, having dealt with them as often as she had – but a sinking and bitter disappointment. Here she was in Zanarkand, the place she'd dreamed about for twelve years now, ever since Sir Jecht told her all those stories. And now...

She didn't know what to do. Was this a particularly clear dream, like she thought? It wasn't possible she could reach the Farplane like she did; she'd been in Besaid. Should she just wake herself up? She watched the spectators for a moment, until one started pushing his way through the crowd towards her. She looked around, no one else was milling about. She looked back and he stepped at her side, and she noticed his uniform, on closer inspection, which was like the ones at the entrance.

"Are you called Yuna by any chance?"

Yuna stared. "I... yes, but how'd you--?"

"Here," the attendant said, and pressed something into her hand. "One of the players told me to give this to you. Enjoy the game!"

She opened her hand, and there was a ticket, printed for the Jecht Memorial Cup – tonight. She looked up to thank the attendant, but he'd already disappeared into the crowd again.

Who was the mystery player? Only one person would do this for her. Perhaps two... She thought of Shuyin, pointing into the distance. Neither were possible. None of this was possible. But it was happening, and she couldn't rejoin the queue quickly enough.

---

The stadium was larger than the one in Luca. It was more impressive by far, with large machina lighting ensured the sphere pool was visible, even at night. The players were already in the pool doing warm-ups and the crowd were likewise getting ready, the entire stadium simmering with underlying excitement. Yuna strained her eyes, and though her row was reasonably near the front, she couldn't make out the players. Their team uniforms made them even more difficult to distinguish – not to mention the pool was not well lit, probably so as not to blind the players.

When the match was about to start and the captains took their positions, staring each other down, Yuna couldn't help but hold her breath like she was in the pool with them. Was it him? Who was it? She still couldn't tell. The entire stadium hushed to a murmur- then a whistle was blown, the ball shot upwards, and the two players sped after it like sharks.

Wakka had sometimes teased on their pilgrimage that Zanarkand blitzball teams wouldn't be nearly as tough as Spira's a thousand years on. It seemed like the opposite was the case. These players were professional. Their tactics would give the Luca Goers a run of their money when it came to playing dirty. They were as sharp-minded as the Al Bhed Psyches and as fast as the Guado Glories. Yuna could only guess this was because they could commit full time to the sport. In her Spira, blitzing wasn't well paid, and until two years ago there had always been the worry of Sin. It had caused players like Wakka to retire, or entire teams to stay behind and help repairs, as blitz teams often composed of the most able-bodied men and women of town.

There was none of that to worry about in Zanarkand. Even the spectators were as enthusiastic as in Luca – if not more so, singing, clapping, whistling whenever their team gained possession of the ball. The Abes were losing 2-3 by the time half time rolled around, and the fans were smarting. Yuna didn't quite understand blitzball the way others did – by nature, she wasn't competitive – but she could at least figure out that this was the Jecht Memorial cup, so it would be a huge embarrassment not to win a tournament that should belong to the bes. More importantly, shouldn't the team be upholding Jecht's legacy? Shouldn't he, if that team captain was really him?

The players came back into the pool for the second half of the match, and the buzz started up again. They were louder than ever this time, urging the Abes on so much that the Duggle fans were being drowned out. A forward seized the ball, but it wasn't the captain. It was a girl. She went straight for the defenders, barely breaking pace when they tackled her. Then she was through, took the shot – and it slammed straight into the goal, so fast the keeper seemed trapped in slow motion.

The crowd roared. Yuna was suddenly walled in on all sides as ecstatic fans leapt to their feet. The Duggles fans, convinced they had the lead and could go for a win by half time, were suddenly drained of confidence. The people around her took back to their seats.

The match went on. Neither team wanted to give ground – 3-3, then 4-3 to the Duggles – and the fans around Yuna were screaming and shouting as if they could win the game based on loudness alone. Yuna felt a little awkward, being there by herself and not sure what to do, but by the last thirty seconds he was on her feet with the rest of them, shouting until her throat was raw and whistling, particularly when that female shooter got painfully close to the goal, only to have the bal taken from her. After nearly ten minutes of intensive play, both sides were wearing down.

The clock went to 0, and the teams were still tied at 4-4. There would be extra time, and the first player to score would win the cup for them.

A bad pass meant the ball was claimed by the Duggles. Yuna didn't want to look, but she couldn't help herself, as both forwards streaked towards the goal, tossing the ball between them when any defenders veered in for a tackle. One passed again, but the other, rather than catching it, kicked the ball to the goal – the keeper leaned in – it struck his fingers, but he couldn't catch it--

It was still enough to send the ball spiralling off course, sending the stalls screaming. One of the defenders snatched it up before the Duggles could react, and with the speed born from a match almost lost, the ball made its way to the other side of the pool. The male shooter received the ball from the centre and sped for the goal, but three defenders had anticipated the move – he'd been a better shooter than the girl, so they marked him in advance.

He was unfazed. He punched the ball as hard as he could at one player, punched it again at the rebound to daze the next, then kicked it to shoot when there was one player left – but the unfortunate defender was surprised as she also had the ball slam into her. Then he followed up after the ball, corkscrewing up after it, kicked it with momentum such that it went straight over the keeper's head before he could even lift his arms.

The stadium exploded in noise and celebration. The Abes had done it again: the final was theirs. Yuna clapped and cheered along with them, but her eyes were fixed on the captain. He looked straight at her and raised his arms over his head in a victory pose. Then the rest of the team swam over and he was engulfed in hugs.

"Did you see that?" a red-haired girl a few rows below said excitedly to her friend. "He did the sign for us!"

The other girl squealed with delight. Yuna just smiled; she knew that it had been for her.

After all, there was no mistaking that Jecht Shot. It was Tidus.

---

After the match was over, and the cup was presented to the team, Yuna milled around the entrance. She was waiting for him away from the crowds. People were in high spirits, still singing and cheering and buying as much merchandise as they could carry.

Finally, Tidus jogged over, anxious but pleased with himself. Yuna immediately pulled him into a hug. His clothes were still damp, but she didn't care.

"Whoa, is this your way of saying 'congratulations'?"

"No," Yuna pulled away. "I'm just so relieved to see you. When I just found myself here, I – well, I suppose I felt how you did when you first came to Spira."

"Minus getting sucked up by Sin," Tidus said.

"Minus Sin," she conceded sombrely. But it looked like nothing could kill Tidus' good mood. His face was still flushed red, and he couldn't stand stiil, looked anxious but still happy, like he wanted to say something. "What's wrong?"

"Let's go," Tidus said, beginning to walk. He glanced back at Yuna. "C'mon, I keep getting ambushed by fans and reporters. It took long enough just to get out the stadium."

Yuna smiled and followed after, linking arms with him. They took the high road she'd used to reach the stadium. Evening had now fully set in and there was none of the dusky sky. The sky was lie ink with shards of glass sprinkled across, but the city below only seemed to become brighter.

As if reading her thoughts, Tidus said, "Now you know why I found it so hard to believe all that 'city of the dead' stuff. I mean, Zanarkand's the city that never sleeps!" he stared up at the buildings, smiling, but it was tinged with sadness.

"I think it's amazing," said Yuna. "It's more than I could have imagined."

Tidus grinned, and suddenly there was a mischievious glint in his eye.

"What? Why that look?"

"I've been wanting to say this forever: wanna come to my place, Yuna?"

Yuna unlinked their arms to give him a playful shove. "We live together. Is all this going to your head, Mr. Star Player?"

"No, my old place. Here. You should see it!"

---

Yuna remembered their conversations together from an age ago – Besaid, Luca, the Macalania spring. She smiled. Here they were, playing out all those ideas they'd had, places they'd wanted to go. She was a little sad the rest of her guardians couldn't come, but the newer, more selfish part of her wanted these moments for her and Tidus only. Together.

Tidus showed her his house on the water, sheepishly apologising for it not being so large. Yuna pointed it out it was much bigger than even the huts in Besaid, even the old Crusader lodge, and al the machina made it far more interesting. She was amazed at the 'washing machine', and Tidus laughed and showed her how it worked – put some clothes in, press some buttons, and it washed them for you with no effort. And other strange things, like a metal cupboard for keeping food cold or frozen.

She also noticed the various trophies ranged along one wall.

"They're not all mine," Tidus said edgily, crossing his arms. "Most are my old man's. Mom kept 'em for a long time, and I guess I got so used to seeing them there that I didn't get rid of them."

Yuna suspected she knew the real reason why he'd kept them, but she decided to keep quiet. "That Jecht Shot, that was different, wasn't it?"

"Yeah," Tidus seemed pleased she'd noticed, grinning and cuffing the air as if he was socking a blitzball.

"What was it?"

Tidus kicked his imaginary blitzball. "I just made a few changes to make it better. I call it, 'The Sublimely Magnificent Jecht Shot Mark IV.' Catchy, huh?"

Yuna couldn't help but break down into fits of laughter.

---

The night they spent together was one of the best Yuna had in a long time. Tidus took her along the harbour, following the bay out the sea. There were no boats except little fishing boats; but then, she supposed, there was nowhere for larger boats to sail away to. The sea was black, but it reflected a distorted view of the city skyline, all rounded buildings and lights. Zanarkand really didn't ever sleep.

Yuna didn't feel tired either, strangely, even as they headed back, followed by the fresh smell of salt on the sea breeze and the rhythmic waves. The remote peacefulness of Besaid was nice in its own way, but she decided city life couldn't be so bad either.

They sat by the water's edge outside Tidus' house and since it was such an automatic movement, she assumed Tidus used to do it a lot.

"Thank you," said Yuna, sitting beside him. It was getting colder, so she moved closer and rested her head on his shoulder. He wrapped his arm around her.

"For what?"

"For taking me here. For showing me this. Everything. Everything you said you would."

"It's no big deal. You deserve it."

"Then you really did bring me here?" Yuna looked up at him. Tidus just stared out to see a long time, at the shimmering reflection the moon cast on the water. "Keep your secrets then." She gave a small smile. "I'm glad, all the same."

They stayed like that, just listening to the strange quiet, saying nothing else. She must have fallen asleep at some point, because when she was shaken awake, Tidus pointed out to the horizon.

The first hints of dawn were creeping up on the sea. Then it got brighter, blue and then red bleeding into the sky. The lights of each building vanished one by one, like candled being blown out in turn, until the sky was in full blaze of reds and golds and oranges – ut unlike some sunrises she'd seen in Spira, it wasn't a violent, angry kind of colour, like Sin itself was the sky. Just... peace.

Yuna felt something wet drop onto her arm where she'd left it across Tidus. That wistful expression had returned, but not so much as before.

"Are you crying?"

"...Yuna," Tidus frowned. He opened his mouth to speak, shook his head. Then he said, "I'm sorry. I just want to enjoy tonight while I can. It's the last time I'll be here."

Yuna shifted, sitting up so she could look at him, cupping his face to brush away any stray tears. "I know the feeling. Two years ago..."

She didn't finish her sentence, deciding to finish it instead with a kiss.

---

Yuna woke again feeling like she'd slept for an age. She panicked; she couldn't feel Tidus' warmth beside her, but there was the sounds and smells of cooking, so she relaxed and opened her eyes.

She was in their hut on Besaid, tangled in a blanket. A wave of dizziness swept over her as she sat up, accompanied by a strange feeling of disorientation.

Tidus was already dressed and making breakfast. She held her head until the dizziness passed, then started, "Did I – was that a dream?"

"Mornin'," Tidus said, apparently oblivious. "Breakfast'll be ready in five." Yuna couldn't be sure, but as she watched him, she was sure there was something happier there in his voice than before.

"Tidus. You still miss Zanarkand, don't you?"

Tidus stopped, surprised, and looked around at her with an odd expression. Then it was gone, and he said, "I guess. But I wouldn't have met you, or helped save Spira if I was still there. Not a tough choice."

"Zanarkand over me and Spira, right?" she laughed.

"Not a chance," Tidus grinned. "It was a sacrifice worth making. Besides, I can still go see Zanarkand."

That got Yuna's interest. "What do you mean?"

"You know what I mean. The ruins."

"Ah."

She did her best not to look disappointed.

---

As Yuna left later to see Lulu, Wakka and little Vidina, she wondered if he was playing dumb or if everything had really been a dream. On the one hand, it had felt like it, strange and surreal, but on the other hand it had been very real. She wished it had been, at least.

Then she saw it: on the temple steps, a dark-skinned boy in a purple hood. No other villagers seemed to notice him, but Yuna did, and she was rooted to the spot. Had it been him who had allowed her to go to Zanarkand, just the once?

Bahamut's fayth smiled at her, turned, and walked into the temple.

Today, Yuna decided, she would visit the temple. She would give thanks for this final gift from the fayth.


End file.
